


Everything Has Got To Change

by Inte1eon



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Because she deserves better, Evolution, Fixing Serena (Pokemon), Friendzone, Gen, Headcanon, Kantou-chihou | Kanto Region (Pokemon), Oblivious, Other, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24790828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inte1eon/pseuds/Inte1eon
Summary: The title comes from an old English Pokemon song. Serena had finally found Ash in Kanto, only for things to not go well for her there.
Relationships: Gou | Goh & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum & Serena
Comments: 7
Kudos: 28





	Everything Has Got To Change

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing except these concepts.

Serena had finally found Ash in Kanto, only for things to not go well for her there.

The Performer turned Coordinator got introduced to Goh. Ash brought up that Goh went to the same Summer Camp that Serena did, but on a different year. Immediately, Serena felt jinxed. That Summer Camp experience was _her_ memory! How could he get along so well with him despite going to that camp in a different year?

Nonetheless, she was determined to win over Ash's heart. She hadn't been doing well in her Contest Spectaculars, so she needed support in Hoenn. Her attempt to ask him out on a date failed. Ash had promised to help Goh for a day before she arrived.

She once again got jinxed.

Serena even caught a Pikachu that was female in Hoenn. No reason for it, she just thought they'd be the perfect pair like Ash and Pikachu were. So far, only one Ribbon to show for it, and that was before they met.

Serena was introduced to Chloe by Professor Cerise. Chloe had also been indecisive about her path in life, but she was kind of aloof? They had a hard time connecting in the end. Yamper, Raboot, and Serena's Pokémon got along well, though.

When night fell on Vermilion City, Serena took Ash aside to speak to him in private. The two Pikachu were following along their Trainers out of concern.

"So...what's up?" Ash questioned.

"You are my goal, Ash," Serena began. "I swore to be a more attractive girl for your sake. Why decline my offer for a date?"

"I already planned with Goh beforehand?" Ash asked her, wondering about her question.

She couldn't argue with that.

"Are you out of your-oh, never mind," she said, catching herself before she could yell at him. "What is with you and Goh? Why are you so buddy-buddy with him?"

"He's my friend," Ash stated.

"You're more than that, aren't you?" Serena questioned, starting to get angry with him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he told her. "To me, you're like the little sister I never had. I was planning on spending time with you, but helping Goh came first."

There was dead silence while both Pikachu looked at their Trainers.

"I have no idea why you're red in the face around me when we were in Kalos," Ash explained. "Were you getting sick or something? You seemed fine when we talked."

Serena remained quiet.

"I mean, I gave you a ribbon, but that was because I wasn't sure what to do with…"

Ash trailed off when he saw that tears started forming in her eyes.

"Hey, why are you crying?" Ash asked out of concern. "Did I do something wrong?"

Pikachu just sighed out of exasperation. His Trainer screwed up, and he didn't know it.

"Serena?" Ash asked, trying to get her back to reality.

There were so many emotions running through Serena's head. Her idealized image of Ash had shattered throughout her Kanto trip. She saw a kid at heart instead of the leader figure she pictured him to be.

"Serena!" Ash exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

_"Ash, you jerk!"_

* * *

Those in the room next to theirs could hear the angry yell before Serena smacked Ash's face. The sound was enough to make them jump.

"What was that?" Chloe asked out of surprise.

The door opened, and the blonde raced out of the room in tears. Serena's Pikachu was not too far behind her.

"Serena!" Ash exclaimed out of alarm, a red mark on his right cheek.

* * *

It took some running, but she ended up in Kanto Route 11, where she tripped on her feet. Her sprint came to an abrupt halt after that, and she landed face-first on the dirt path. Pikachu soon stopped and caught her breath.

Still upset about everything that had happened, Serena picked herself up until she got to her knees. Finally, after all the hurt she had been through, she _cried._

Salty warm tears flowed freely down her face, which she desperately tried to wipe away. Her whole world turned upside down all because of Ash. And it _hurt_ so much.

Now, she was lost once again, just like when she was a child. This time, it seemed that no one was coming to help her up.

Once she started to calm down, Pikachu was still looking up at her. Her other Pokémon had caught up to her by now.

"Now what?" Serena asked herself. "I'm nothing without him. I chose to change career paths just for him. Should I just quit?"

Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon stated their cases, trying to tell her that she shouldn't give up.

"Ash was the one to tell me that!" Serena protested. "I still need him!"

Serena's Pikachu noticed that when Serena tripped, she dropped some of her things upon falling. One of them was a Thunder Stone. She had been considering evolving for a while, but Serena wanted her to stay a Pikachu.

If she remained the way, she was, however, her message would not go through. So, Pikachu made her way to the Thunder Stone and took a deep breath. She squeaked to get everyone's attention.

"Pikachu?" Serena asked.

Imagine everyone's surprise when Pikachu touched the Thunder Stone, engulfing her in blue light. In a burst of electricity, she grew taller, with her ears becoming bifurcated. Her arms became stubby, and her feet had grown to adjust to her new form. Her tail had built longer and thinner with a lightning bolt-shaped end. The dent was still there to indicate her gender.

Another burst and Pikachu had taken her final form: Raichu.

"You evolved..." Serena breathed out of awe.

She took out her pink Rotom Phone to look her up.

 _"Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pikachu,"_ the phone explained. _"If its electric pouches run empty, it raises its tail to gather electricity from the atmosphere."_

Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon approached her to take a look at her new form. The message got hammered home, and Serena stood up.

"You're right, Raichu. Everyone," she told them. "Giving up doesn't mean it's the end of everything. Yes, I'm not happy that Ash landed me in the friend zone. That doesn't mean my journey is over. Everyone needs to change. Even me."

Serena took a deep breath. Tomorrow, she would face the day in better spirits.


End file.
